Mariners sign Rhodes to Minor League deal
Rhodes, 37, becomes the 11th non-roster pitcher the Mariners have signed during the offseason. He's been invited to Spring Training to vie for a spot on the 25-man roster.
"Arthur Rhodes is coming to camp with a terrific opportunity to make this team," Seattle general manager Bill Bavasi said. "He is a veteran left-handed pitcher with a lot of late-inning experience who could possibly be a factor in the back end of our bullpen."
Rhodes has a history in Seattle, having pitched for the Mariners from 2000-03. He had his best season in Seattle during the 116-victory season of 2001, when he went 8-0 with a 1.72 ERA in 71 games.
"It's great for me to come back ... I had my best years there," Rhodes said from his home in Baltimore. "My family had a good time there. I'm excited to be back there. The fans are great."
Rhodes -- who was 0-5 with a 5.32 ERA last season in 55 games with Philadelphia -- was 10-4 with a 2.33 ERA in 67 games with Seattle in 2002 and 3-3 with a 4.17 ERA over 67 games in 2003.
Rhodes became a free agent after the 2003 season and signed with Oakland. He spent one season with the A's before joining the Indians in 2005. He was traded to the Phillies before the 2006 season.
Rhodes has a career record of 75-60 with a 4.31 ERA in 653 games. He started his Major League career in Baltimore in 1991 and pitched for the Orioles for nine seasons before he signed a free-agent deal with Seattle before the 2000 season.
Rhodes struggled last season while pitching at hitter-friendly Citizens Ballpark in Philadelphia, posting a 7.32 ERA, though he allowed only one home run. He missed the final three weeks of last season with a sprained right elbow.
On Thursday, Rhodes said his elbow was fine and that he's been throwing for three weeks.
George Sherrill was Seattle's primary left-handed short reliever last season, going 2-4 with a 4.28 ERA in a career-high 72 games. Eric O'Flaherty, another lefty, appeared in 15 games after a late-season promotion from Triple-A Tacoma.
"You can never have too much left-handed pitching in the bullpen," Bavasi said. "That's something we've never really been able to give [manager] Mike [Hargrove]."
Bavasi said that Rhodes could fill any number of roles in the bullpen from "real important early innings to setup. He'd have to be pretty versatile. The most important outs aren't always in those last two innings."
Pitchers and catchers report to Peoria, Ariz., on Feb. 14.
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com.